Disillusioned
by Karalei
Summary: Kim's going into her fourth year of college, and feels rather bored with everything. She recalls that things were a lot more interesting when Shego was still around.  KiGo, ie. femslash
1. Chapter 1

Well, finally got around to writing the start of a KiGo fanfic. I feel... Unclean. Don't hate me Disney, but they really are an awesome pairing. - u-

Thanks to Court for getting my ass in gear. c:

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><p>Up, down, left, right. A quick flip, and then back into the fray. The movements had a rhythm, a beat, and the two women knew it by heart. It was comfortable, this pattern, and so easy to fall into. Like a dance in essence, but filled with violence and an unforgiving heat. The redhead's arms were always a mass of light bruises after such fights; her opponent's mild healing ability saved her pale skin from such annoyances. Unfair.<p>

Still, the teen could never help it when she felt the small smile begin to worm its treacherous way across her lips. Every. Single. Time. It was always quickly suppressed, when she noticed it, but she did wonder if her rival had ever caught on. Hopefully not. How embarrassing would that be? She wasn't supposed to enjoy all this. At least, not this much.

Abruptly, she was pulled from her thoughts as the dark-haired woman landed a hard blow to the area just below her ribs; the redhead felt her knees dissolve, and she quickly took a step back. But her enemy followed her, coming in far too close. Why? This close, there wasn't much room for maneuvering. So…

"Kimmie," Shego whispered softly, grabbing the hero's wrists in her green and black-clad hands, "You were smiling." Kim felt her heart stop and then start up again, beating twice as quickly as before. The pain from the hit Shego had landed earlier had dissipated, but the weakness in her knees seemed to only increase with each passing moment.

"I-I wasn't," she finally managed to stutter weakly.

"Pumpkin," Shego replied, drawing black lips back into a grin, "You're a terrible liar."

The older woman leaned in closer, the heat from the earlier battle taking on an entirely different, somehow more dangerous, tone. Kim's eyes widened, slowly becoming fully aware of exactly what was going on. This wasn't right… This wasn't how it was supposed to be…! But… Staring into those intensely green eyes, Kim wasn't so sure. Right or wrong, did it matter? It was such a fine line, and Shego was so near now. All she had to do was let go, lean forward just the slightest bit, and nothing would matter.

Kim closed her eyes.

And opened them what seemed like a moment later to find herself back in her somewhat dingy apartment.

"Fuck," she swore blearily, vaulting out of her loft bed onto the thinly carpeted floor below. She hated those dreams. Dreams of things long gone. Things that should have been forgotten. They reminded her of just how young she had been then. Young in terms of more than age.

Twenty years old, with another birthday coming up any day now, former teen hero Kim Possible had fallen into a bit of a rut. Since high school, life really hadn't been the same. After graduation, well… Things sort of lost their glow. At first, Kim hadn't been able to pin down exactly what was wrong. She and Ron had started fighting more and more often, normally over stupid, little things. Ultimately, at the start of her sophomore year of college, they'd broken up. Slowly, she had distanced herself from friends and family, throwing herself into her classes and trying to ignore the dull ache that she couldn't quite place. Towards the end of sophomore year was when she began having the dreams. The ones about how she used to be. And always, those dreams centered around her old nemesis, Shego. Sometimes, they were about things that had actually happened, but, more often than not, about things… Things that hadn't. And couldn't.

The dreams had been only an annoyance at first, and Kim had attributed it to missing the glory days. Missing the action. They started out so innocent, with flashes of past fights and victories. Quickly though, they had escalated into something so much more, and that was when Kim had started to realize that it wasn't just the excitement that she missed. Somewhat disturbed by the notion, grudgingly, she had forced herself to admit that she actually missed Shego. And not the reformed version. The bad-tempered, always sarcastic and condescending, wrath-filled villainess was who Kim missed. She began to look back on their battles with an odd fondness, recalling how well she and Shego had fit together. How evenly matched they had been, and how she was the only foe who could make her blood race just so. Fucking Shego.

Wearily, Kim padded to her modest kitchen, reflecting vaguely that it was, in a way, somewhat of a shame that Shego had gone good. (Not that she would ever admit that out loud.) And it was almost a crime that she had started dating Dr. Drakken. It had been so long since Kim had seen her… The redhead was going into her senior year of college now. Almost four years had passed; two years since she'd started having the dreams. She probably would have gone crazy by now if it hadn't been for the new hobby she had picked up: Free-running, with a bit of vigilante work thrown in when the opportunity arose. Even if the people she normally fought nowadays weren't exactly a challenge, it still helped keep her in shape. For what, she didn't know, but Kim wasn't willing to completely give up her old ways yet. It was just too big a part of her to throw out, even if she had already become somewhat disillusioned with the whole hero thing.

In the kitchen, Kim poured herself a bowl of cereal, hardly even noticing what kind it was. Something with plenty of sugar. Then she turned to the fridge, her half-asleep mind registering somewhere that she would need milk.

Opening the door, she was suddenly wide-awake, and it wasn't because of the cool air rushing out at her. There, sitting innocuously on the middle rack, was a bottle of red wine. Not cheap stuff either. This shit was expensive; even a non-drinker like Kim could figure that out. And… She hadn't bought it. She wasn't even old enough to buy it until tomorrow. Someone was in the house.

"Hello there," an all-too familiar voice drawled from behind her, "I heard it was almost someone's twenty-first."

Slowly, Kim shut the refrigerator door, and turned on her heels to find a dark-haired woman reclining at her table, feet up, chair leaning back on two legs.

"Shego," the redhead breathed, wondering faintly if she was dreaming again.

"Look at my little Kimmie," the woman replied, a sharp smile on her lips, green eyes bright with humor, "All grown up."

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><p>:0 Should hopefully continue this~ Sorry for anything I got wrong in there. It's been freaking forever since I've actually seen the show.<p>

Thanks for reading. 3


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter get! c:

No lemons in this chapter. ; P Possible mild ones in the next. Maybe.

This isn't going to ever _ever_ turn into straight-up smut, just so you all know. o uo;; I do have a plot-ish in mind, even if it takes a little while to get there.

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><p>"Wha-What are you doing here Shego?" Kim finally managed to stammer between her racing thoughts. Her attempt to sound calm and collected failed utterly, but she hardly even noticed. It was too damn early for this.<p>

"Didn't I just say? I'm here to celebrate your big day," Shego replied, a maddening grin still plastered on her too-pale face. Kim stared at her blankly for a moment, still trying to collect her thoughts.

"But… What…" This was all too much for her. Finally, she shook her head and attempted to rub some of the sleep from her eyes. "Ok," she started, sense slowly starting to trickle its way into her thoughts, "I can kind of accept that. But you couldn't just have fucking knocked or something? Like a normal person? Reformed criminal and all? Breaking and entering is a crime, you know."

"Oh, little Kimmie's learned to swear now, has she?" Shego threw back immediately, deliberately ignoring the rest of the redhead's statement, "What a rebel."

Kim felt her face flush. "Yeah, well, a lot's changed since you last saw me," she said, a slight undertone of bitterness unconsciously creeping into her tone, "How long has it been? Four years? Been a while."

Shego's smile widened. "Miss me?"

"Fuck no," Kim replied instantly.

"I'm offended, Kim."

"…Wounded even?"

"Hurt, Kim."

Kim couldn't resist the smile that crept onto her face, and Shego was quick to notice it.

"Ah, now some progress is being made."

Swiftly, Kim replaced her brief smile with a stern expression of… Bemusement? That was what it felt like anyways. She silently hoped it was something a little more intimidating. (It wasn't.)

"You know Shego, I hate to break it to you, but my birthday isn't actually until tomorrow. You're a day early, I'm afraid."

Shego faked a look of mild consternation. "Oh dear, that is a problem," she said, pulling her feet off the table and letting the chair legs hit the floor loudly. She leaned forward, placing an elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. "I suppose I'll just have to spend all of today with you as well. How bothersome."

A small smile tried to twitch into being, but Kim managed to keep a straight face. "Hm," she replied, unable to think of anything else to say. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Shego managed to find a way to further the conversation.

"I like the pj's, by the way," she said in a gently mocking tone, "They're very… You."

Kim scowled in irritation, her face turning beet-red. Said pajamas consisted of a somewhat-too-large, pale-blue shirt with a row of ducks in the middle, and black boy-short underwear. She hadn't even thought about what she was wearing until just now.

"Shut the fuck up. I wasn't exactly expecting visitors you know," she said accusingly.

Shego simply continued to smile, staring steadily at Kim. This behavior, odd as it was, only served to make Kim even more flustered, and she quickly turned away, pulling the hem of the shirt down as far as it would go. She was suddenly very conscious of just how underdressed she was.

"A-anyhow, I'm going to go take a shower-"

"Oh, need any help with that?" Shego interrupted, the smirk on her face trying very hard to appear sincere. It was a strange and completely ineffective attempt, and Kim could do little more than offer a blank, red-faced stare in response.

"…No," she finally responded, swiftly turning and making her way out of the kitchen.

"Mmkay pumpkin, just go ahead and give me a call if you change your mind," Shego called after her, now making no attempt to disguise her teasing grin. She hadn't had this much fun in ages. And as Kim walked off in a huff, in the unconscious, traitorous part of her mind, she was thinking the exact same thing.

About forty minutes later, the two were out of the apartment, walking in companionable silence side-by-side down the sidewalk. Kim's hair was still slightly damp from her, thankfully, uninterrupted shower. (She had been half expecting Shego to pop in on her at any moment, but her fears had proved unfounded.) Shego glanced over at her.

"So, new haircut to go along with your extended vocabulary?" she asked, real curiosity in the question, despite her flippant tone.

Luckily, Kim had managed to pick up her old habit of letting Shego's insults slide right off her, so she simply nodded, fingers reaching up to touch her shortened locks. After she and Ron had broken up, she hadn't been in the best of places for a while. He had been her best friend for practically forever, after all, and though the break-up itself hadn't really hurt as much as it should have, the awkwardness and lack of communication between them for the next couple months had. They'd made up, sort of, after a while, but in the time between, Kim had been… Well. Not her usual cheery self, to say the least. After the whole mess was sorted out, she'd never quite gone back to how she'd been before. And so, to go with her new attitude towards life, she'd decided a new look was in order. Since tattoos and piercings were out, Kim being rather adverse to the idea of them, she'd decided instead to chop off all her hair. She had let it grow out a bit since then, allowing the bangs to fall down to her chin, and keeping the back a bit shorter, but it was still quite drastically shorter than when Shego would have last seen her. She silently wondered what the darker-haired woman thought of the change.

Shego, as if reading her thoughts, smiled. "Well, I like it."

Kim regarded her solemnly for a moment, trying to decide if the woman was serious or not. Finally, deciding that the statement was genuine, she offered a quick smile. "Thanks."

This entire day still felt rather surreal to Kim. Shego being here with her was just so… The redhead didn't even know how to describe it. Every time she looked at the woman, or heard her voice, she felt the old, familiar jolt of excitement mixed with anticipation, mild alarm, and self-consciousness. Then she'd have to tell herself to calm down; remind herself that Shego was a good-guy now, even if she didn't always speak like she was. It was all very annoying, but, all the same, Kim felt a peculiar warmth begin to settle in as the day wore on.

The two spent the day wandering the streets around the area, occasionally going into shops that looked interesting, and visiting Kim's favorite café for lunch, but mostly just talking and enjoying the crisp fall weather. They talked mainly of the old times, and a bit of what Kim had been up to; she found Shego oddly avoidant when she tried to ask what she had been doing for the past four years. It was strange, but not strange enough that Kim would push the subject. Shego never had cared much for revisiting her past.

Finally, the shadows began to lengthen as the day melted into the evening, taking Kim rather by surprise. She hadn't even realized that they'd been out that long.

"Hey, Shego, it's, like, almost nine," she said, "Wanna start heading back?"

Shego looked at her, and then to a store about a hundred yards away from them. Club Banana, still inexplicably one of Kim's favorites. "Hold on just a sec hon," Shego said, her lips curving upwards in a somewhat worrying manner, "Just wait right here, this'll really only take a second, then we can go back."

Kim sighed, but nodded and stayed put, despite her curiosity, as Shego walked confidently into the store. Ever true to her word, hardly half a minute later, the woman reemerged from the store, clasping something in her hand. It was weird though… She seemed to be coming at Kim a lot faster than seemed necessary… And she looked far too pleased with herself.

"Shego…?" Kim said questioningly, eyebrows stitched together in worry.

As the woman got closer, Kim could suddenly hear the blaring of the anti-theft alarms at the doors of Club Banana.

"You didn't!" she exclaimed. Shego offered a manic, incredibly crooked grin.

"C'mon Kimmie, time to go," Shego replied, clasping Kim's hand in her own and sprinting back towards the apartment, half-dragging the outraged woman behind her all the way there.

Upon arrival, standing outside of the doorway, Shego finally allowed Kim to shake her off.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Kim asked between gritted teeth, glaring at a rather non-repentant looking Shego, "Seriously, what the fuck? Just... Fuck, Shego!"

Her antagonist just smiled, and held out the item she had made off with. "Language, pumpkin. Here."

This caught Kim off guard. "...What?"

"Here. I got this for you," she replied simply, "Birthday present."

Kim just stared at her for a moment, before finally looking down at the proffered object. It was... A jacket. Green. The one she had wanted so long ago. Identical to the one Shego was wearing. Slowly, Kim reached out and took it from her.

"They don't sell them anymore. Just set them out for display," Shego said, that self-satisfied, wicked grin still dancing on her lips, "Showing their past styles or something. I stripped a manequin for you dear. Be grateful."

Kim set her lips in a thin, straight line, and shook her head, despite the intensifying of the warmth she had been feeling all day, "Shego, I can't-"

She was abruptly cut off as Shego leaned in and gently kissed the top of her head, freezing the redhead in place.

"Happy Birthday, Kimmie. Deal."

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><p>To those of you who got the Scott Pilgrim reference: Good job. I love you forever.<p>

To those of you who won't like that I cut Kim's hair: Sorry. o uo;; But people change. She's changed quite a bit, though I'm doing my best to at least stay somewhat true to the original Kim, as far as I remember her. Also. I like short hair, and I think she'd be pretty hot with it. So. Yeah. That was a factor too. (SHEGO'S IS STILL LONG AND LUSTROUS, I ASSURE YOU.) I might post some drawings someday of what I think they look like, whenever I get access to my scanner again. It's at home. - u- OR FEEL FREE TO DRAW SOMETHING IF YOU WANT. C: THIS WOULD PLEASE ME GREATLY.

COMMENTS TIME.

I'm going to try to answer all the comments for as long as I feel like it. c: Cuz I love comments. And so. ONWARD.

**Olivia-B52007 **

My first commenter. I will cherish you forever. o wo ALSO, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

**Kilohe**

Pfffft, I don't _do_ requestssss. ...Just kidding. I totally do. D: -PUSHOVER- Anywaysss, thankssss~! :3

**xXKoketsUXx**

MORE THERE SHALL BE. :D

**Honulicious**

Oh, that's not gonna be the entire plot, I assure you. c: Just the best way I could think of to start~

**Darkshadow-lord**

I knoooooow, riiiiight? D: I need to re-watch the series. That jacket thing? Was so lucky I remembered even that much. I'm trying so hard to remember their styles of speech, but, just, gah. xD

Thanks for all the lovely comments dudes~! c:

Will hopefully be able to update this on a fairly regular basis, if my classes don't get too busy~


	3. Chapter 3

WELL HELLO THERE.

So yeah. It's been ages since I started this story. I sorta stopped for a while for many reasons. None of which you need to worry your pretty little heads about. - u- All you need to know is that I'm back, and hopefully will start updating this on a slightly more regular-ish schedule.

...I make no promises.

:D;

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><p>Still fighting an odd, incredibly confusing mixture of embarrassment, annoyance, and a twinge of inexplicable pleasure, Kim silently led a rather smug looking Shego into her apartment. She wasn't quite sure how to react to this… Gift. Of course she couldn't accept it; she'd need to return it as soon as possible. Still, it was a sweet gesture… <em>Wait. No. <em>Mentally, Kim shook herself. Sweet or not, Shego had just stolen from that store. And regardless of intent, that was still a crime.

The redhead flung the jacket onto a chair in the kitchen, then swung around to face Shego, who had been trailing behind her. "Shego, what the hell was that?" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Inwardly, Shego smiled. Just like old times. Outwardly though, she assumed a somewhat bemused expression. "What was what?" she replied innocently, slowly advancing on the former hero. Unconsciously, for every step that Shego took forwards, Kim took one backwards, her distrust of her former enemy fully rekindled. In a few brief steps, she felt the edge of her wooden counter-top pressing into the small of her back as Shego came in uncomfortably close.

"T-The jacket!" Kim managed to stammer, her hands braced on the counter as she leaned back somewhat. Shego bent forward a bit and placed her hand on the counter beside Kim's. The girl had meant to ask about the kiss as well, actually, but suddenly felt that, somehow, that that would be a dangerous subject to broach.

Shego's eyes, inches away, gazed intently into her own for a moment, before a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she spun away from Kim. Giving a sort of shrug, she threw herself into one of the wooden chairs and crossed her black-skinny jean-clad legs on the weathered table-top. The redhead let out a breath of relief, all the while forcing herself not to stare at those legs.

"What about it?" Shego asked, leaning back into the chair.

"You… You stole it!" Kim blurted.

"Mmhmm." Shego replied patiently, as if speaking to a simpleton.

"I thought you gave all that up!" Kim said, the uncertainty and anger at this betrayal in her voice bare.

"Yes, well, funny thing, that," Shego said with a grin, her eyes never leaving Kim's, "Being good was awfully… Boring. And not terribly profitable, you know. So I sort of stopped."

Kim just stared for a moment, not really sure what she was hearing. "But… What about Drakken?" she asked, "Is he…?"

"Dunno," Shego said, waving her hand dismissively, "He's probably out there building high-tech homes for leprous orphans or something. Haven't spoken to him in a year, at least. His goody goody act really started to grate on my nerves."

Kim could do little other than gawk at the woman sitting at her table. Back then, Shego had seemed like a completely changed person… This was all too much for her to take in right now. Did this mean she was harboring a criminal or something? _Idiot_, she thought, inwardly rolling her eyes at her own childish thinking. Slowly, Kim lowered herself into a chair opposite of Shego; it happened to be the one that the stolen jacket had landed on, and Kim absently played with its sleeve as she tried to think of something to say. Shego, maddeningly, made no move to explain herself further, instead opting to stare at Kim with a slight smirk.

"So… What have you been doing then?" the redhead finally blurted, "I mean…" She trailed off, not entirely sure what it was that she did mean.

Shego shrugged, and set her feet back on solid ground with a soft thud. "Oh, you know," she said, leaning an elbow on the table, and resting her chin in her hand, "A little of this, a little of that. Nothing a good kid like you would be terribly interested in. I won't bore you with details."

Kim flushed lightly, dropping the jacket sleeve as she glared accusingly at the older woman. "So you've taken up stealing again."

Shego shrugged nonchalantly. "As I said, I do many things. Really Kim," she said, her eyes seeming just a fraction colder than they had been a moment before, "You wouldn't be interested."

This time, the redhead felt her face go a bit pale with the heavy implication in the woman's words. "Shego… You…"

Shego's mouth twitched into a sudden smile, and she allowed herself a small chuckle. "Really Kimmie, listen to yourself. Learn to take a joke. Yes, I'm stealing things again, are you happy?"

"…Not really," Kim muttered, pouting irritably as she pointedly turned her gaze from Shego to look out the window. She hated this about her old foe. This ability to tell such bold-faced lies without even blinking. Back in the old days, Kim had simply gotten used to never trusting a single word out of Shego's mouth. It looked as though she was going to have to re-learn that habit. _Oh, wait, no._ She wouldn't be sticking around long enough for Kim to need to re-learn it. Shego was a criminal again. Kim had to turn her in. The thought passed as a dark shadow across her face, but she quickly shook it off. It was ridiculous to feel guilty about turning in a criminal.

Shego, who had been watching the redhead as these thoughts passed through her mind, abruptly spoke up, almost as though Kim had spoken out loud. "You know you couldn't do it," she said, somehow managing to sound solemn through her grin, "And even if you could, you could never catch me. We both know the only reason you ever beat me before was because of Drakken."

"Bullshit," Kim shot back angrily, "I beat you because I was better."

"Hmm, maybe," Shego said, her voice infuriatingly calm in comparison to Kim's, "Maybe you were back then anyhow, on my off days. But now, well…" The challenge was clear in the woman's tone, and it only served to make Kim even more irate, which, to be fair, was probably Shego's intention.

"Shego," Kim said through gritted teeth, "Just what are you trying to do?"

"Start a fight," Shego said bluntly.

Kim's shock must have been more evident than she thought, as Shego let out a brief peal of not-quite kindly laughter. "Oh come on Kimmie, lighten up. Don't you ever miss the old days? It was awfully exciting back then, wasn't it? Now look at us. You're, what, a senior in college? Settled down into the easy life, haven't you? And I've settled on dreary heists, petty thievery, and the occasional odd job. It's just not the same as it used to be."

"B-but," Kim spluttered, trying to find an argument to cling to, "How it used to be was _bad!_ People got hurt Shego! You were my enemy! And…" She trailed off, not sure what else she had been planning to say.

"And?" Shego asked curiously.

"And it just wasn't ok!" Kim finished lamely.

"Awfully articulate today, aren't we?" the woman shot back.

"Ugh, just shut up Shego. Shut up and go away. Go back to wherever you came from." Kim was tired of dealing with her old foe. She always confused her, made her mind spin in circles. She hated that feeling almost as much as she cherished it.

"Pumpkin, all I'm asking for is one last little friendly fight," Shego said, knowing the effect the old pet name would have on the redhead.

Kim sighed, too weary to argue anymore. "And you promise that you'll leave me alone afterwards?"

Shego shrugged, smirking intolerably. "If you win."

"What? But that's not…"

"Fair?" Shego interrupted, "I thought you said that you were better than me. Scared that you're going to lose, Kimmie?"

Kim rolled her eyes heavenward in exasperation. "Fucking… Fine. Fine Shego. What the fuck ever. If I lose, you can stay. If I win though, you have to get the hell out of here, and not bother me again."

Shego inclined her head, grinning like mad. "It's a deal."


	4. Chapter 4

:D Hay gaiz. As sort of promised, I didn't wait a friggen year to upload another chapter this time. It's only been a little more than a month, in fact! Technically, I'm on a roll. That's the scientific term, noonecansayotherwise.

Also, I do realize that my chapters are pretty short, but that's really just how I operate. I write a scene, and then I kinda have to give myself some time to recharge for the next. Annoying, maybe, but hey. - u- If it works, it works. I'll try to work on it though. x3

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><p>"If we're going to do this though, we're doing it on my terms," Kim said, crossing her arms sternly over her chest.<p>

Shego gave her an amused look, but inclined her head without argument. "Sure pumpkin, whatever you want."

The redhead glanced at Shego suspiciously, not entirely sure if she was being mocked or not. "Hm. First of all, stop with the pet names." Shego smiled placidly at that, a look that clearly told Kim that that wasn't going to happen. Ah well. It was worth a try; not worth kicking up a fuss about though. "Second, your powers are off limits." Kim watched Shego for a reaction, but there was none beyond a slight shrugging of the villain's shoulders. She had expected some snide comment about her being afraid, or having lost her old nerve, and was slightly surprised that none was forthcoming. "Third," she went on after a moment, "The winner will be the one to pin the other for at least five seconds." Shego smirked at that, and Kim grimaced in return, vastly unsettled by the predatory look in the woman's eyes.

"I accept your terms," said Shego, the mockery laid bare in her tone this time.

Kim rolled her eyes in irritation. "Great," she muttered, "Let's get this over with." She stood abruptly and turned away from the table, heading for the door. "C'mon then," she said, beckoning back at Shego without turning around, "There's a rather convenient alleyway around back of this place. Not many windows looking down on it."

"My, my, isn't someone rather well informed," Shego murmured, her voice just barely audible.

Kim paused, not sure how she was supposed to take the comment. She decided that it was probably harmless. "Well. I like to know the place I'm living in," she said simply. Despite not really being the crime fighting business anymore, Kim still often acted as though she was. She liked to know all the ins and outs of any place she stayed in. She'd mainly picked this second story apartment because of that back alley. She had a small window looking out over it, just big enough for her to fit through. A drainpipe was placed to the right of the window, making it an excellent escape route, should the need ever arise. Not that she'd anticipated that she'd ever have to use it. Still. Didn't hurt to be careful.

Silently, she led Shego back down the stairs outside of her apartment, and onto the sidewalk below. With a few quick glances around to make sure that there were no observers, the redhead stole furtively into the alleyway, trusting Shego to follow. The last thing Kim needed was for the police to be called on this ridiculous fight. Luckily, it was quite late at this point, and although the nearby streetlamps kept the road from being completely swallowed in the dark, there would be few people out and about in this area anyways.

"Well then…" Kim began hesitantly, swinging around to face the villain and suddenly feeling slightly awkward about the whole scenario. It was incredibly surreal. Luckily, or perhaps not so luckily, Shego gave her little time to feel awkward. Somehow, the woman had already managed to slip out of her restrictive jacket, which now lay discarded on the concrete, and had moved in much closer than was ideal for Kim's health.

Startled, Kim half-stumbled backwards, feeling waves of irritation wash over her. Partly at Shego, but mostly at her own stupidity and slowness. She should have anticipated this; even if she hadn't, she shouldn't be as taken aback by it as she was. The old her would have never let her guard down like that. Not around Shego. The redhead gritted her teeth, an image of a gloating, smug Shego in her mind's eye. The villain's earlier insults and doubting of her abilities still rang clearly in her ears. Fueled by her frustration, Kim managed to turn her backwards fumble into a smooth back-flip, landing soundly back on her feet as Shego continued her assault.

"Not too bad Kimmie," Shego said, "But not too good either. Rather sloppy."

Kim only had a moment to feel indignant before Shego was on the offensive once again, forcing her to focus on fending off the attack. It felt like her foe was everywhere at once. Despite this, Kim was relieved to find that she wasn't being overwhelmed; she could handle this. It was just a matter of re-learning, or rather remembering the steps to the dance, so long ago pushed to a dim corner of her memory. She became suddenly aware of her muscles and bones, contracting and springing forward at her whim, falling swiftly and comfortably into the familiar cadence. Finally, her rhythm reclaimed, she retaliated, striking back decisively against the older woman, and forcing her back a step. Shego looked up grinning, and Kim felt her rapidly beating heart constrict slightly at the sight.

"Finally," Shego murmured, her teeth still bared in a menacing smile.

Kim stared at her for a moment in slight bewilderment, but couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her own face. Realizing this, and not wanting her opponent to do the same, the redhead swiftly threw a kick Shego's way, forcing her into a rapid retreat. "Fucking Shego," Kim said, still smiling, despite herself. She wasn't even sure that she felt that same passionate bliss at the moment, as she had in past fights with the woman. The smile that had found its way on to her face seemed misplaced, somehow. It was odd. The annoyance she had felt earlier was still present, but something else was building slowly as she fought. It was hard to put a finger on the emotion. Resentment? Anger? She felt tears prick her eyes as the sensation grew, though she quickly blinked them away as she threw even more effort into her and Shego's battle.

Regardless of Kim's efforts, Shego seemed to sense the change in the former hero's mood, and, frowning, asked, "Something the matter Kim?" For once, Shego didn't employ the use of any pet names, but somehow this only made the redhead's temper darker.

"Nothing Shego," Kim said bitterly, the words short and spat out stiffly as the two continued their struggle.

"Come now pumpkin," Shego teased, almost gently, "You've never been a very good liar."

Kim bit into her lip painfully, not sure what to say. She wasn't even sure what was wrong with her, or how she could articulate it. Or if she truly wanted to. Looking up into Shego's face and meeting her bright, mischief-filled eyes, suddenly Kim found the words, and they came spilling out all at once while her vision was once again flooded with tears.

"How… How could you just leave?" Kim burst out, attacking Shego with renewed viciousness, "Never send me a letter. Never stop in to say hello. Never give me any reason to believe that you were even alive."  
>She only dimly realized how pathetic she sounded, but it was too late to stop the flow of words now. "You leave with no word, and now you just… Show up here! Acting as though nothing's changed!" Kim was almost shouting as her tears threatened to spill over.<p>

"Everything's changed Shego. You left me all alone, and I just… I can't play your stupid games forever." Her shouting had diminished quickly to an almost-whisper. "I was supposed to move on with my life…"

During Kim's outburst, their fight had almost come to a standstill, with the two locked in a stalemate. Now Shego, who had remained eerily silent throughout the whole exchange, feinted and caught Kim off guard, her vision still blurry from her near brush with weeping. Quickly, Shego knocked the redhead off balance, and proceeded to catch her pin-wheeling wrists in her hands, shoving her back against the cold brick wall with her arms caught soundly above her head.

Kim watched wide-eyed as Shego moved in far too close, her smirking visage blocking out everything around them.

_Oh_, she though faintly, closing her eyes, _So that's it. This is another dream._

Except that it wasn't. A moment after she closed them, the redhead's eyes shot back open as Shego's soft, but incredibly demanding mouth met hers. She panicked, her eyes staring into the villain's, who winked infuriatingly, her green eyes glittering with roguish delight before she closed them, deepening the kiss as Kim offered minimal resistance. Soon, the redhead found her own eyes fluttering shut again, focused only on the feeling of Shego's tongue snaking its way in between her teeth and back again. She'd never properly allowed herself to fantasize about kissing the villain, but if she had, she would have imagined it exactly like this.

It felt like an hour passed in those five seconds, the time slowing down to accommodate Kim's shameful, buried wish that it never end.  
>Finally though, Shego broke the deep embrace, smiling and looking incredibly satisfied with herself as she licked her lips.<p>

"I win, pumpkin."


End file.
